Why Content Marketers Must Make Time to Write. And that’s making time to write. And not just any content. Then I work again, later afternoon, for two or three hours. But when someone on the maker’s schedule has a meeting, they have to think about it. How One Content Marketer Accommodates the Maker’s Schedule Top content marketers recognize the need for creative time and build it into their schedules. Cameron Conaway, Content Marketing Manager at Klipfolio, addressed this in his talk at Content Marketing World 2016. He makes sure to block off time in his schedule and communicate to his team and managers when he’ll be working uninterrupted. Many content marketers are required to be physically present at their desks – all day, every day. “It’s going to take time for our collective understanding of content marketing to evolve to the point where we see it tied to creative processes – which demand deep focus,” he says.
As content marketers, we’re well-versed on the formula for success.
We know that we need a documented content marketing strategy that includes our goals, editorial mission, distribution plan, and success metrics. We know we need to consistently measure our performance and optimize our tactics based on our learnings.
And we know we need to focus on quality, not quantity.
However, there’s one major point that’s often overlooked.
There’s something else we should all be doing that will undoubtedly increase our chances of success. It should be an imperative, but we rarely talk about or practice it.
And that’s making time to write.
The Importance of Creative Time
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never met any creative who produces their best work in between distractions.
I doubt any writer has said, “I love writing in 20 minute increments between meetings. It really fuels my creativity!”
Or, “Answering phones, checking email, chatting with people who stop by my desk – that doesn’t keep me from my writing! I’m fine writing whenever I can squeeze it in.”
The truth is, our jobs require us to create content.
And not just any content. We’re working in a digital landscape where it’s harder than ever to cut through the noise and reach our target audiences. In order to do so, we need to create compelling, interesting, informative, and engaging content to attract and build relationships with our users.
And to do that, we must dedicate time.
The Proof
A look at famous authors’ daily routines reveals one thing: They made writing a priority.
They found places where they could focus, and committed to writing daily, often for a set period of time.
Ernest Hemingway wrote every morning at dawn. As he told George Plimpton in the “Paris Review“:
When I am working on a book or a story I write every morning as soon after first light as possible. There is no one to disturb you and it is cool or cold and you come to your work and warm as you write.
Maya Angelou rented a hotel room in every town where she lived. She traveled to it and started writing every morning at 6:30, while laying across the bed.
Don DeLillo followed a routine that alternated writing and exercise:
I work in the morning at a manual typewriter. I do about four hours and then go running. This helps me shake off one world and enter another. Trees, birds, drizzle – it’s a nice kind of interlude. Then I work again, later afternoon, for two or three hours.
Haruki Murakami keeps a similar routine:
When I’m in writing mode for a novel, I get up at four a.m. and work for five to six hours. In the afternoon, I run for ten kilometers or swim for fifteen hundred meters (or do both), then I read a bit and listen to some music. I go to bed at nine p.m. I keep to this routine every day without variation.
Michael Punke wrote “The Revenant” while working full-time at a Washington D.C. law firm. Each morning, he rose before dawn, went into the office, and wrote for several hours before his colleagues arrived.
Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule
While we content marketers may not be writing the next great American novel, our work is no less important or valuable. And our requirements are the same. We also need uninterrupted, creative time.
We know that every piece, even those that appear to be “low-effort” (listicles, for example), requires research, interviews, and a good chunk of time to be written.
And it’s not just content writers and editors who need this time.
Designers, videographers, photographers, and anyone who works on our visual and interactive content all require creative time, too.
Paul Graham, Cofounder of Y Combinator, may have put it best in his 2009 blog post, “Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule.”
There are two types of schedule, which I’ll call the manager’s schedule and the maker’s schedule. The manager’s schedule is for bosses. It’s embodied in the traditional appointment book, with each day cut into one hour intervals. You can block off several hours for a single task if you need to, but by default…
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